Tandem bicycle.



I No. 647,786.

(mi Modal.)

Patented Apr. l7, I900.

J c; ANDERSON.

TANDEM BICYCLE.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Shaet I.

IN VENTOh' No. 647,786. Pafentd Apr. 17, I900.

' J C ANDERSON.

' TANDEM BICYCLE.

(Applicatiun filed Aug. 9, 18 99.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

. INVENTOI? OHNEY W/TNES S.

N0. Pate nted Apr-17, TANDEM BICYCLE.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 189 9.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

YIIIIIIII/ IIIIlIIIIIII/II/l/I/II 'IIIIIIIlIIIIIII/III I) IIIIIIIIIIll/Ill/III/IIIIIII/I/IIIIIIIIIIIIII/I/(IIIII/I/Ifl IIIIIIIIflI/IIIIIIIIIII A from/Er UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

TANDEM BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,786, dated April 17, 1900.

Application filed August 9, 1399.

Serial No. 726,693. (No model.)

Tort whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tandem Bicycles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

Myinvention relates tocertain new and useful improvements in bicycles, and especially to that class known as tandems, andwhich aredesigned to carry two riders, both of whom cooperate to propel the machine.

In all tandems with which I am familiar the combined physical effort and. power of the two riders is applied to a single wheel, or, in. other words, only onewheel becomes a driving-wheel, and such wheel is the rear one.

M'yinvention has for its prime object to provide a wheel of such construction that each and both wheels shall be essentially drivingwheels and that the riders shall each be mounted directly over the axis of his respective wheel, and thus be able to apply his power in the most effective manner.

My invention has for another object to provide a novel steering device in tandem construction whereby the front rider controls the path of travel of the wheel over which the rear rider is mounted, and while the steering force is applied to the rear wheel in a direction reverse to that applied to forward wheels in the present form of tandems the handlebars are so arranged and connected with the steering-gear that the primary direction of the movement of the handlebar is applied reversely at its rear connection and, finally, in the direction the wheel travels and the same as in wheels of the present type, and hence the forward and steering rider upon any of my improved wheels, applying the same han- (lle-bar movement with which he may have been accustomed, secures the proper trend of the tandem without any confusion to himself.

My invention has for a further object to provide a novel and effective articulative joint between the sections of the frame andalso a novel articulative joint between the front handle-bars and the front section.

My invention has for a further object to so construct and arrange the front and steering handlebars that without in any manner disturbing their ball-bearings the said bars may be readily putin proper position for transpor tation and quickly restored to operative posi tion.

In an application filed by me on the 16th day of December, 1897, Serial No. 662,233, for improvement in pedal and crank mechanism I have fully explained the most desirable method of applying human motive force to best conserve the natural articulations of the body, and my present invention involves this application of the human motive force. \Vith this object in view the saddles are arranged directly over the axis of each wheel, so that the toggle action of the legs may be applied in the propulsion of the wheel. One of the most important results of this arrangement is that each rider is to all intents mounted upon and operates a unicycle, While by the linking together of the two articulating frames the equilibrium of eachis more readily maintained.

In order that those skilled in the art may know how to make and use my improved wheel and fully understand its advantages,

I will proceed to describe the same, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan View of a tandem bicycle embodying the features of myinvention.. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail top or plan view on increased scale and partly in section, showing the front handle-bar connected with the rear frame; and Fig. 4 is a detail elevation, partly in section, sh'owingthe handle-bar connection illustrated at Fig. 3, and also showing the manner of articulatively connecting the two frames of the machine.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

A represents the front, and B the rear, wheel. Each wheel .is mounted in a frame consisting of a forward vertical tube 0, a rear vertical tube D, and upper and lower horizontal bracing-tubes E F.

ICO

The front tube C of the front frame is bifurcated to constitute afork, inthe lower ends of which the wheel A is secured in suitable ball-bearings, and the rear tube D of the rearframe is similarly bifurcated to receive the reariwheel B. .The lower horizontal tubes EF are alsobifurcated to embrace the wheels.

' The front tube of the rear. frame is provided with forwardly-projecting lugs G and H at-the top and bottom thereof, respectively,

and are connected articulatively with the rear .tube D of the forward frame by a pintlcro'd I, which passe'sthrough said lugs and the said rear tubeD and is secured in place by nuts I' l at the upper and lower projecting ends, Suitable ball-bearings areinterposed I I between the ends of rear tube D of the front 3 frame andthe' lugs G H, as will be presently described; but any other suitable ball-bearwardlyfrom the neck L of front handle-bar head M. The handle-bar head'is formed with a vertical shaft or stem 0, which passes through a tubular joint and ball-bearing in the upper frame-tube E and is secured in position by a nut P. I v

The saddles Q are secured to saddle-posts R, which are securely held in T-joints R at the front end of the upper tube E of the front frame and at the rear end of the upper tube Eof the rear frame and are held in any desirable adjustment by clamping-levers S of any desired form, though I prefer the con-- struction shown in another application filed by me on even date herewith, Serial No. 726,694, covering improvements in 'bicycles for use in the military service.

' The saddle-posts and saddles are arranged, as shown, so that the rider when mounted will be directly over the axis of each wheel,

respectively, and may exert his motive force,

as heretofore described, and known in mechanics as the ftoggle movement.

Tare the cranks and U crank-boxes w1th internal gears meshing with a pinion on ,the'

axis of the driving-wheel, as described in the last-referred-to application.

V are extension-pedals such as described in application Serial No. 662,233, hereinbefore referred to, these pedals being providedwith extensions, as described, and shortening the lift of the-foot about three inches, as fully explained in my pending application just referred to, enabling the rider in my. present, construction of bicycle to be mounted directly over the axle of the wheel and to exert to the fullest extent the vertical toggle action of the leg and foot, and hence the rider is enabled, by holding against the handle-bars, to exert greatmotive force, and for that reason I prefer to use the particular driving-gearmech anism described in my referred to application for milltary bicycle, in order that additional nut P are secured in place, as shown.

strength of construction may be provided to compensate forthe additional :force applied in the propulsion of the machine.

, WV is a ha'ndle-bar adj ustably and rigidly secured to the front tube 0 of the rear frame byclamping-lever S. X X are handle-bars adjustably securedto thehandle-bar heads M, through the medium of screw-threaded shanks A, connected with thehandle-bars, and binding-nuts B, the adjacentfaces of the heads M and handle-bars X being serrated, as'shown.

.On the stem 0, extending from the heads M of the front handle-bars and below the segmental gear K, is secured a cone-shaped collar O, the outer periphery or edge of which constitutes a flange overhanging a ball-cup D, secured within the tube E of the frame andthe interior bracing tubular joint E, and

. 'antifriction-balls'are located in the racebe tween the collar 0 and; the-ball-cupD, as

clearly shown at Fig. 4. -Another;ball-cup D is located through thevunder side of the tube E and strengthening-joint E and a-coneshaped nut'is screwed in place upon threads on the lowerend ofthe stem' O, antifrictionballs .being located in the 'race between the ball-cup and-nut, and afterproperadjustment of the ball-bearingsthe'washer Fand From this construction and arrangement' of the handle-bars on'the frontsection,-whichof necessity are provided with ball-bearings, as described, it will be seen' that by loosening the nuts B on'the ends of ,thQS anks A the bars X maybe drawn forward sufficiently to release the serrations designed to preventaxial movement and that when theserrations are thus released the handle-bars may be turned down vertically and against the opposite sides of the bicycle-frame and that they may be secured in' such position by again tightening the nuts B, thus putting them'in' position for transportation; and, as before stated, this construction and arrangement is necessary to avoid in any manner disturbing the ball-bearings. Therear handle-bars, like all'others as at present used,aredevoid of ballbea-rings, and hence may without inconvenience be removed bodily from the machine when the latter is packed for shipment.

The articulative connection between the lugs G H on the front tube 0 of the rear frame and the rear tube D of the front frame is made in the following manner: Within the ends of the tube D are arranged short tubular collars G (see Fig.4) to constitute shoulders against which ball-cups H are located. Each end of the pintle-rod I is threaded and 1 a fcone nut J, interiorly and exteriorly threaded, is run onto the end of the pintle-rod Iand through thelugs G H to confine the balls between the ball-cups H and the cone*face of the nuts, and. securing-nuts I are then screwed upon the projecting threaded ends of the rod 1, as clearly shown.

I desire to again call particular attention to the fact that each wheel of my improved bicycle is a driving-wheel and 'to the further fact that where the motive force of both riders is applied to a single wheel, as is the case in tandems as at present constructed, the double application of force tends to and does cause part of the force to be lost in the slipping action of the driving-wheels.

As the motive force applied in my improved wheel is divided between the two wheels, (both of which are drivers,) the entire force of the two riders is efiectually expended in propelling the machine.

Having described the construction and arrangement of my improved tandem bicycle and the advantages derived, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1sm 1. A tandem bicycle composed of two quadrilateral frames each mounted at one end upon a single driving-wheel, and articulatively connected at the upper and lower ends, means for driving each Wheel "independently, a saddle mounted over the axis of each driving-wheel, handle-bars connected with each frame, and steering mechanism intermediate of one of said handle-bars and the articulative frame adjacent thereto, whereby the machine may be both driven and steered by the two wheels, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. In a tandem bicycle composed of two riders is applied to the best advantage, sub stantially as hereinbefore set forth.

' 3. In a tandembicycle consisting of two frames, articulatively connected at their upperand lower extremities between the wheels and adapted to be thrown out of the longitudinal plane of the machine, each frame carrying a single driving-wheel, and independent mechanism for driving each of said wheels, a saddle mounted directly over the axis of each wheel, and mechanism for articulating the frames, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a tandem bicycle composed of two independent frames articulatively connected at two points centrally of the machine, and each mounted at one end upon an independentdriving and steering wheel, means for propelling each wheel independently, handlebars secured to each frame, one of said handle-bars being pivotally connected with its frame, and means intermediate of the-pivotal handle bar and the next adjacent frame whereby a rider upon one frame is enabled to steer. the wheel in the frame upon which the JAMES C. ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

J ENNIE G. BOOTH, SMITH D. FRY. 

